EPA: Greenhouse Gases Threaten Public Health and the Environment

After a thorough examination of the scientific evidence and careful consideration of public comments, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today that greenhouse gases (GHGs) threaten the public health and welfare of the American people.

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Scientific consensus shows that as a result of human activities, GHG concentrations in the atmosphere are at record high levels and data shows that the Earth has been warming over the past 100 years, with the steepest increase in warming in recent decades. The evidence of human-induced climate change goes beyond observed increases in average surface temperatures; it includes melting ice in the Arctic, melting glaciers around the world, increasing ocean temperatures, rising sea levels, acidification of the oceans due to excess carbon dioxide, changing precipitation patterns, and changing patterns of ecosystems and wildlife.

The finding is in response to the 2007 U.S. Supreme Court decision that GHGs fit within the Clean Air Act definition of air pollutants. That ruling and this latest EPA finding clear the way for EPA and DOT joint regulation of light-duty vehicle GHG emissions. The proposed regulations would conserve 1.8 billion barrels of oil over the lifetime of model year 2012-2016 vehicles.

More information on the EPA finding can be found here.